The world washed to white before her eyes, and she gasped, moving back to cup the wall. Her arm met air, and as she whirled around she found herself in a forest glen, the sunshine painting the ground with warmth. The air was thick and heavy, and she felt the urge to wipe the sweat from her brow increase with every second she spend in the sweltering weather. This was definitely not her body. Was it her father's...?
The sound of someone violently retching in the bushes caught Sasuke's attention, and he turned to face the back of a woman sprawled out over a bush.
A familiar woman. The very same woman she'd seen every day for her entire life, albeit less curved and more muscled.
Her mother's back shuddered and heaved with her gasping breaths as she vomited. The body moved forward on its own, and she caught a black sleeve and hand reaching for the rosette.
"Sakura," his voice called out, tainted with concern. "Are you well?"
The woman stilled for a moment, letting out a deep breath. She fell back onto her knees and wiped her mouth with her hand before craning her neck to look up at him with a bright smile, though her complexion was pale and sweaty.
"Hai, Anata," she chirped, and when he extended his hand to help her up she accepted it. She planted a hand firmly on the grass and staggered to her feet, steadying herself. "Sorry, I must've gotten sick from the food last night. Perhaps I didn't roast the fish all the way?"
Her father didn't answer. Suddenly, the world became much sharper to her sight, and she could see her mother's chakra slowly moving through her body, a little shaken from what had just occurred, but otherwise as calm and methodical as she always remembered. Yet somewhere, she felt like she could see something else... something akin to a pinprick. What was that?
His eyes dramatically decreased in clarity once again, and they lingered at her back for a few moments before the scene changed.
As soon as the forest melted away, she realized that they were in an inn next. She (or rather, Sasuke) was lying in bed, reading through a book in the dim lamplight.
The door opened, and his eyes trailed up to see Sakura enter, her face wrought with anxious trepidation.
"Oh! Anata!" She greeted, giving him a smile. "Sorry, I won't be long. I just need to use the bathroom for a minute, eheh!"
He nodded and looked back to the book when the bathroom door clicked shut.
Several tense minutes passed, and Sarada was growing restless. Her father's eyes kept moving across the page, but it was like he wasn't even paying attention to the words.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the bathroom door slowly clicked open and Sakura appeared, pale and excited.
Her father sat up straighter when she looked at him. "Sakura?"
"A- Anata," she stuttered, glancing down her her shaking hands. "I found out what was wrong with me."
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He asked, making to get up.
"No no no no, you don't have to get up!" Sakura shook her head vigorously, rushing to his side to gently push him back down. "Actually, I'm completely fine. It's something else."
He looked at her expectantly, deep into her verdant green eyes. He must've seen something in them that she couldn't, because his eyes widened a second later. "...!"
"Sasuke-kun," her mother shyly began, lacing her fingers through his, "I'm pregnant."
Sasuke felt a sharp intake of breath, and the scene changed again.
This time, they were back in the forest, in the dead of night. The crickets were chirping noisily and the wind held a chill. Sakura was lying on her side facing the fire and Sasuke was sitting beside her, running his hand through her hair.
Her mother's hair was soft, almost as soft as she often remembered. She was struck with the beauty she could see through Sasuke's eyes - her mother's peaceful face in sleep flickered with the light of the flames, her soft skin warm to the touch. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, taking in her tanned countenance with tenderness that made her want to look away because of its intimacy. Her body wasn't yet beginning to swell with her pregnancy yet, but one of the thoughts that flickered across her - his - mind was of how she'd look in the coming months. "She's... still so beautiful..."
Then his thoughts turned more solemn, and she could almost see his face when he thought of it. "... What if I can't protect her?"
"Will I be a good father?" He thought next, and a pang of guilt struck her. "Will the child even like me?"
All of a sudden, when she opened her eyes again, the air was colder and snow blanketed the landscape. The wind whistled past the tree they were under as they briefly stopped for a rest.
Sakura's body was keeled over as far as she could go with the baby bump, her breath coming out in visible puffs in front of her face. She leaned against the tree with her gloved hands against the bark. Both of them were bundled fairly well, it seemed.
"Do you need another minute?" He asked.
Her mother didn't answer right away. She let out another breath before straightening and smiling up at him. Her eyes crinkled and she looked at him with warm adoration. It reminded the girl of how she always looked at her.
"... No, I've got this." Sakura assured him, placing a hand on his good arm.
Their eyes were locked together, green on black, and suddenly he pulled her closer and wrapped his good arm around her.
"E- eh? Anata...?" Sakura stuttered, flustered at the contact. Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of red.
Sasuke rested his chin atop her head, not moving even when she slowly wrapped her own arms around his middle. She snuggled her face into his cloak, and he smiled into her rosy tresses.
She let out a content little sigh. "I love you."
"I love you," he thought in reply.
The scene changed again. This time, Sarada could hear birds chirping and she could detect a floral hint in the air, decidedly springtime.
Sasuke walked hand-in-hand with Sakura through the forest, glancing her way every so often.
Her mother looked radiant. Her hair was longer now, her eyes glittering with energy. A smile teased at her lips, her cheeks blooming with a dainty pink. Her entire presence seemed to glow, even with the trace of exhaustion she could detect in the young woman's eyes.
Sakura glanced over and noticed him staring, making him immediately look away. His cheeks began to heat up when she began to giggle.
She leaned into his arm and smiled into it. "You're so cute when you get shy, Anata~!"
His blush worsened, and he muttered, "I'm not shy..."
She only chortled in response.
When he looked over at her again, she was gazing adoringly up at him, her face flowering with color. He reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, and she looked away with a sheepish expression.
The scene changed once again, and a shriek ripped through the air of a small room.
Sakura was gripping his hand with formidable strength, tears stinging her eyes as she gasped for breath. The woman from the photograph, the redhead, was at her feet, demanding her to push.
Sasuke dabbed at her forehead with a cloth and she glanced up at him for a moment, grateful, before her eyes squeezed shut again and she shrieked, her voice echoing in the sparsely-decorated space. It made Sasuke's ears ring, and he winced from its volume.
"Ah... her grip hurts..." he thought, glancing down at their hands clasped together. Her fingernails dug into his skin, white. Her entire hand was trembling. "What do I do?"
"You're almost there, Sakura," the woman was encouraging, giving her a worried look. "Just keep going! You're almost there!"
"I c-" her teeth ground together in agony, "I c-aaaaahn't-!"
"Sakura," Sasuke's voice sounded more panicked than he would've liked, "you can do it. I know you can."
"Sa- ah- suke-!" She screamed, clenching the sheet with her other hand so hard that it ripped in her grasp.
"You can," he encouraged, brushing away the tendrils of hair that stuck to her white-hot face. "You're a strong woman. I know you can."
Sakura was absolutely wrecked. Her face was stained in tears and sweat, and her eyes hung with exhausted bags. She only wore a simple hospital gown that looked as flimsy as it probably was. Her chest heaved painfully with the effort and her knees almost knocked together. She looked much smaller in this bed, much more fragile than he remembered her. A startling memory of a young teenager with bubblegum locks crying over him flickered through the mind for a moment before it was shoved away.
"The head is breaching!" The redhead announced, and she gave the couple a tense look. "Just one more will do it, Sakura - one more strong push!"
"SHA-NA-ROOOOOOOOO!" She screamed, and when the last syllable faded away the squalling of a newborn took its place.
Sakura fell against the pillows limply, as if the exertion had taken too much out of her. Sasuke's fingers brushed against her seal and she weakly grinned at him.
"She's... here, Anata," she breathed, squeezing his hand. "She's finally... here..."
After a minute, the redhead came back, a bundled infant in her arms. Her.
The tuft of hair on her head was black, and her tiny face was contorted in emotion. Her cries lessened in intensity when she was placed against Sakura's chest, and the woman immediately went to cradle her, gazing into her little face with fresh tears in her eyes.
"Congratulations," the redheaded woman commented quietly. She checked her mother's legs for a moment more before pulling at something.
Sakura made a noise and Sasuke looked over warily, only to see the woman pulling out a long piece of... something.
"This is the placenta, don't worry," the woman chuckled at his - supposed - bewildered expression. "This is normal."
"Karin," Sakura called softly. The woman looked over and the rosette smiled gratefully to her. "Thank you so much for your help."
The scene changed once more, and Sakura was holding the baby against her body once more, this time in the safety of a tent. Sasuke lay on his side near her, watching the interaction between mother and child with a fond eye.
"I've dreamed of this moment," she confessed shyly. "For a long time. I've always wanted a child of my own."
She was exhausted, but radiant - her eyes were full of love for her newborn, even as she slept.
"Sarada," she suddenly said, and when he rose an eyebrow at her, she explained, "'Sa' for you, 'Ra' for me, and..." She bit her lip, suddenly reticent. "I was thinking... 'Da' for your brother..."
His breath caught for a moment, and the woman looked up in concern.
"Is it too soon? I'm sorry," she was quick to placate, but he cut her off by pressing his lips to her Byakugou. She quieted in surprise.
When he pulled away, he smiled at her. "It's perfect." "She's perfect."
In her relief, she smiled, hugging the girl closer. "Thank you, Anata. For everything."
As quickly as her vision faded, it returned - and she inhaled sharply, pressing her body back against the pillar. Her eyes were wide at the man as his eyes faded to black once again, his expression pained.
"What just happened?" She breathed.
The Nanadaime frowned, stepping forward. "Sasuke, what'd you-"
"Now you know the truth, Sarada," he suddenly spoke, bowing his head to shadow his eyes. "You are the proof of our bond."
A/N: Because this idea came to me at one in the morning and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down.
Please tell me what you thought!